The present invention relates in general to telescoping seating systems. Seating systems of this type include a plurality of rows which are mounted on wheel carriages and adapted to move between an extended use position in which the rows are stepped or tiered, and a retracted or storage position in which the rows are generally vertically aligned. The present invention is directed to seating for telescoping rows of this type; and it has particular utility in such systems wherein the seating is automatically raised when the rows are extended for use, and automatically lowered when the rows are retracted for storage. One telescoping row system which automatically raises and lowers the seating as the rows are extended and retracted is disclosed in the co-owned application of Hartman, for TELESCOPING SEATING SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATICALLY FOLDING CHAIRS, Ser. No. 897,941, filed Apr. 3, 1978 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,202. In the Hartman application, there is disclosed a mechanism responsive to the extension and retraction of the rows for raising and lowering a frame, including a horizontal beam, on which the seating is mounted.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated as mounted on a horizontal beam of the type disclosed in the Hartman application, Ser. No. 897,941, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,202 which is raised and lowered with the movements of the telescoping rows; and it includes a chair back and seat mounted to the beam by means of a pair of hinge mechanisms clamped to the beam at the side of each chair. The hinge mechanisms include a pair of pocket washers which capture and hold a preloaded coil spring so that the washers are normally biased with their spring pockets aligned. A seat sector is engaged by one of the washers which is rotatable relative to the other washer which is fixed in a housing for the hinge mechanism. The seat sector is forced by the preloaded spring, when the seat is unoccupied, to the three-quarters fold position. Thus, when the system is extended for use, and the seats are unoccupied, they are all aligned in the three-quarters fold position, thereby facilitating ingress and egress, reducing maintenance cost for folding seats, and presenting a uniform, neat appearance to the system.
The hinge mechanisms permit the seat to be lowered to the horizontal position when occupied, and they also permit the seat to be further raised, as when an occupant steps rearwardly into the seat, pushing the top of the seat with the back of his thighs so as to facilitate passing by another occupant of the aisle. This position of the seat is sometimes referred to as the "passing" or fully closed position, and it is also assumed when the chair is lowered and stored in the space between adjacent decks when the system is closed for storage.
A second spring located in the same housing as the seat hinge mechanism normally biases back sectors, on which the chair backs are mounted, rearwardly to the normal use position when the seat is open, but they also permit the backs to be rotated forwardly to the fully closed position. This is also useful in that the backs do not bind when the rows are opened or closed out of the ordinary sequence. When the chairs are closed, both the seats and backs are rotated to a minimum space, occupying as little as 31/2 inches of vertical space, and fitting within the space between the top of one deck and the bottom of the next higher deck, without requiring any special structural changes to the decks to accommodate the automatically folded chairs. This enables the chairs to accommodate a rise as low as 8 inches (deck-to-deck).
To provide more comfortable contour seating in this minimum space, one illustrated embodiment of the seat includes a peripheral frame which is mounted on seat sectors and which receives a seat panel comprising a wire frame, a sleeve or belt of flexible, elastic material on the wire frame, a foam cushion encompassing the belt, and a covering. When an occupant sits on the seat, the elastic belt will yield under the weight of the occupant, permitting his body contour to extend beneath the horizontal extension of the peripheral frame.
Various modifications of upholstery for backs and seats are also disclosed which are all capable of being folded into the minimum space necessary for automatically folding the seating between telescoping rows. There is also disclosed an arm rest structure which may be clamped to the same beam on which the seats are mounted, by the same clamping structure which holds the chair hinge mechanism. The arm rest is also capable of being folded when the rows are retracted, and it falls under gravity to the use position when the rows are extended for use.
The seating of the present invention is not necessarily limited for use with telescoping rows. Rather, as will be appreciated from the detailed description, it can be extended to a number of different applications, such as fixed seating, modular seating, and so on, as further explained below.
Thus, the present invention provides a chair which is capable of operating with a fully automatic telescoping row system and folding and unfolding in cooperation with the movement of the rows without sacrificing the comfort of an occupant. The system further provides the advantages and neatness of appearance in a three-quarters fold seat which may be lowered for use or further raised for passing. In addition, the limited pivotal motion permitted by the back permits location of the chair as close as desired to the rear of a deck consistent with tolerances required for positioning the nose of the next higher platform. This structure permitting limited rotation of the back further provides for increased passing space in the next higher row, when required. All of this is provided in a chair which may be folded into a space as small as 31/2 inches deep so that the chair may be fully enclosed in the space between the top of one platform and the bottom of the next higher deck. The capacity to include a variety of different seating surfaces is a further advantage of the present system, these seating surfaces ranging from plastic, to a thin cushion pad, to a deeper cushion pad, and including a deep resilient sling for greater body contour.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of alternative embodiments wherein identical reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various views.